48 PORT OF MAIRIPEHE. 



tance from Mairipehe to the lake does not 

 exceed eight miles. 



It was noon when we reached Vaihiria. The 

 sky was clouded, the temperature low, and 

 every thing around us saturated with moisture. 

 The morning dew on the thickets, the river- 

 fords, and subsequently, some heavy showers of 

 rain, had wetted us thoroughly ; but this was 

 only a temporary inconvenience to my native 

 companion, who, on starting, had taken the 

 precaution to roll his body-cloth into a small 

 and compact form, and now invested himself in 

 its dry folds, with something, I thought, like 

 satirical satisfaction. But I had my revenge ; for 

 the dampness of the spot defied all his efforts to 

 produce fire by rubbing two pieces of wood to- 

 gether, in the usual Polynesian manner, and en- 

 abled me to display the superiority of civilized 

 over savage expedients, by immediately produ- 

 cing the desired element with a Lucifer-match. 



Returning by the same route, we reached 

 Mairipehe* by six o'clock in the evening. This 

 district includes a wide extent of fertile plain, 



* A name compounded of two Tahitian words, signify- 

 ing " to finish a song ;" the minstrels, who formerly 

 strolled round the island, having been in the habit of com- 

 mencing their performances at Papara, and finishing 

 them at this place. 



